How to Avoid Vacation Weight Gain and Still Enjoy Your Escape

How to Avoid Vacation Weight Gain and Still Enjoy Your Escape

It is all too tempting to overindulge while you are on vacation, and fall prey to vacation weight gain. But you don't have to put on the pounds while on holiday, or spend every moment watching what you eat and making note of every calorie you consume. By following a few simple rules you can have a fun and relaxing getaway and come back looking better than ever.

Plan to Be Active

It's easy to stop your regular exercise program while you are on vacation. After all, a break from your regular activities means a break from the gym too, right? In fact, if you plan your holiday well, you won't need to visit a gym. Walking around cities, seeing the sights, hiking to natural wonders, or even playing golf will help to burn more calories than you might in your daily life.

So, plan as many physical activities as you can. Even if you are on a tour bus for much of the day, you can still wake early and wander out to see the morning markets, or the sun rise over the ocean. Or why not build part of your trip around a cycling tour or add classes for local dance moves. Even on a beach holiday, there is still swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving to consider, as well as kayaking, and other water-based activities. While it might seem nice to lie around a beach all day without doing anything, you'll enjoy it that much more after an hour or so of diving off a ship wreck, and it makes for better stories once you get home.

Learn Some Bodyweight Exercises

There are plenty of simple exercises you can learn to do in the privacy of your own hotel room. While day-to-day activities should take care of burning calories, building and maintaining muscle tone is also important. This will help to keep your metabolism high and also help you to look good on the beach. Bodyweight exercises are toning and strengthening exercises you can do without the aid of equipment, using your own body weight as resistance. Examples include push-ups and leg lifts. If you add in an exercise band, you open up even more possibilities. Work out a simple, 20-minute routine each day and you will notice the results.

Eat Fresh, Local Cuisine

Most local dishes have evolved over the years to take advantage of the vegetables and other ingredients available in the region. It can be tempting, while in a different culture, to stick with what's familiar, like chain restaurants or hotel food. But, often those foods have been brought from distant places, and may have a lot of added salt and sugar to help preserve them. Eating locally not only supports local cultures, it is often the healthier choice, with fresh ingredients and intense flavors. Try to stick to lean meats and fresh fruits and vegetables, but forgive yourself if you occasionally overindulge with local chocolates or cheese.